Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce

This tasty Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce will definitely be a treat when you want a plant-based meal. And see the tips in this recipe for pressing the tofu for best results!  

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Everyone who loves crunchy sweet raw red cabbage, please raise your hand. (Kalyn has both hands raised.) Even if you’re not raising your hand I hope you’ll still consider making this Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce using crisp lettuce in place of the cabbage, because I loved how the flavors combined  in this recipe, and I’d hate for any cabbage-avoiders to miss out on the other good things here.

Two things that ramp up the flavor are tossing the tofu cubes with a soy-sesame-ginger marinade before they’re baked, and a hint of Sriracha Sauce in the tasty peanut sauce to give it just the right amount of spicy kick.

I made this a couple of times and in the final version I scattered the tofu cubes over the salad like croutons before I drizzled the sauce over, and I thought that was the perfect finishing touch.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• firm or extra firm tofu
• sesame oil (affiliate link)
• soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
• Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
• Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener of your choice
• Ground Ginger Root (affiliate link) from a jar
• Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter (affiliate link)
• hot water
• Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link)
• red cabbage
• red bell pepper
• sugar snap peas

Is this Tofu and Peanut Sauce low in carbs?

Is this Tofu and Peanut Sauce gluten-free?

As long as you use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link), everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Can you make this Tofu and Peanut Sauce without a tofu press?

An inexpensive tofu press (affiliate link) is a handy gadget if you cook a lot of tofu. But this recipe also gives instructions for pressing the water out of the tofu with a heavy cast-iron pan, see photos below. And that method is easy and gives great results.

What other vegetables can you use with the Tofu and Peanut Sauce?

How to Make Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Drain a cube of firm or extra firm tofu into a colander placed in the sink and let all the liquid run off.
2. Then cut the tofu into two same-size flat pieces.
3. You need to press the tofu to remove the moisture if you want crisp cubes of tofu. Start by putting the pieces of tofu between a double layer of paper towels.
4. Then put something heavy like a cast iron pan on top of the tofu and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. (If you have time, change the towels and press again for 15 minutes more.)
5. While tofu is being pressed, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, and ground ginger root to make the marinade.
6. Cut the tofu into small cubes and toss with the marinade.  (If you have time to let this sit for 15 minutes or so, I would do that, but it’s not essential.)
7. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray and spread out the tofu cubes.  Bake at 400F/200C for about 20 minutes.
8. Halfway through baking time, turn the tofu cubes if you want them evenly crisp on all sides. (I used my fingers, just do it quickly!)
9. The tofu is done when it’s nicely browned on all sides and the edges are firm.
10. While tofu cooks, thinly slice and chop the cabbage and cut the red pepper and sugar snap peas into slivers. (I’d cut the cabbage thinner than it is in this photo; we forgot to take another photo of the thinner-cut cabbage when we made this the final time!)
11. Melt the peanut butter in the microwave, then whisk in the rice vinegar, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link), and hot water to make the sauce.
12. For each serving, layer a generous amount of thinly sliced and chopped cabbage, red bell pepper strips, and slivers of sugar snap peas.
13. Sprinkle with tofu cubes and drizzle over desired amount of sauce, and devour!
14. This vegan Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce is so tasty that even meat-lovers will gobble it up!

More Tasty Ideas with Tofu:

• Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha
• Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks
• Tofu Tacos

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

This Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce is really a treat and this recipe is vegan and pretty low in net carbs!

Ingredients

Tofu and Marinade Ingredients:

• 14 oz. firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove most of the moisture
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T soy sauce (see notes)
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 tsp. Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger root (from a jar)

Peanut-Sriracha Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 T plain natural peanut butter (see notes)
• 1 T hot water
• 2 T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Sriracha Sauce (more or less to taste; this was just barely spicy)
• (If you think you’ll want extra sauce you may want to double this; it keeps well in the fridge and is good on lots of other things.)

Bowl Ingredients:

• 1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced and then chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into short thin strips
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced sugar snap peas, cut lengthwise on the diagonal

Instructions

1. Put the tofu into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain for a few minutes, until the liquid runs off.
2. Cut tofu in half crosswise to make two same-size flat pieces.
3. Put two piece of paper towel on a cutting board, lay tofu slices close to each other on the paper towel, and top with two more pieces of paper towel.
4. Put something heavy (like a cast iron pan) on top of the paper towel so it’s covering and pressing down on the tofu to press out the water.
5. Let tofu press at least 15 minutes, then replace the paper towels and press again for 15 minutes more if you have time.
6. While tofu is pressing, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Monkfruit sweetener (or sweetener of your choice), and ground ginger (affiliate link) to make the marinade.
7. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
8. When tofu is pressed, cut it into small cubes about 3/4 inches square.
9. Put tofu into a small bowl and gently toss with the marinade.  (If you have time, let it marinate 15 minutes or so before you bake.)
10. Spread tofu out on the baking sheet so pieces are not close or touching and bake about 10 minutes.
11. Remove pan from oven and use your fingers or a fork to quickly turn the tofu pieces over.
12. Bake about 10 more minutes, or until all the tofu is nicely browned and the edges feel firm. (It might take slightly longer than 20 minutes, but watch it carefully at the end because it can go from brown to burned pretty quickly.)
13. While the tofu bakes, thinly slice and chop the cabbage.
14. Cut away the stem and remove the seeds of the red bell pepper, then cut the pepper into short thin strips.
15. Cut sugar snap peas in half lengthwise on the diagonal to make slivers.
16. Whisk together the rice vinegar, Monkfruit Sweetener (or sweetener of your choice), sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link), and hot water to make the peanut sauce sauce.
17. When tofu is done make bowls with a generous layer of red cabbage topped with red bell pepper strips, sugar snap pea slivers, and tofu cubes on top.
18. Drizzle over a generous amount of sauce and serve immediately.
19.  Individual ingredients can be kept in the fridge for several days.  (I had leftovers and I gently heated the tofu and sauce in the microwave, combined the ingredients, and ate it while I was typing up this post!)

Notes

Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) or reduced-sodium soy sauce if desired. I love Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) but use any sweetener you prefer. I use Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter (affiliate link), use a peanut butter without added sugar. If you're not a fan of some of the veggies I used You can substitute or add any thinly sliced veggies you think would be good with these flavors. This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks and Vegan Peanut Butter Tofu.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving Calories 256Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2.4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11.8gCholesterol 0mgSodium 539mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 6.5gSugar 9.2gProtein 16g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions: 
If you’re eating this Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut Sauce for a low-carb diet or for Phase One of the original South Beach Diet, you need to use an approved sweetener. Tofu is a limited food for Phase One for South Beach, but this recipe is well-within that limit.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Bowl Meals to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe
This tofu with peanut sauce recipe was posted in 2014. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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